Monthly Archive: May 2010

The Red Queen

The Red Queen

It’s the weekend on Cat Ba island, not to mention the Vietnamese summer, which means there’s a vibe on the beach I can best characterize...

Zac, dad and bike at the end of the road, Cat Ba island, Halong Bay, Vietnam

Easy Riders

We’ve been exploring Cat Ba island, which splatters like a Rorschach blot off the northern coast of Vietnam, trailing 300-odd islets in its wake. It’s...

Trees and reflecting pool in the Temple of Literature, Hanoi, Vietnam

Summer in Hanoi

Hanoi turns one thousand years old this year, and the city’s just on the cusp of summer. The point where the heat begins to turn...

Cab Journey from Hell #1

Cab Journey from Hell #1

I really thought, by now, after over four months in Asia and experience with virtually every taxi scam permutation known to man, my naïve London...

The Reunification Express

The Reunification Express

We flew from Manila into Saigon last week, the day after Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, and rode the Reunification Express 1600km or so upcountry to...

The Museum of Doctor Rizal

Manila is not a spiritual city. It’s one of those big, dirty, urban sprawls, expanding organically, growing without control, the beating heart of an archipelago,...